Women's Lacrosse

Irish Battle Phoenix to Open Road TripNotre Dame travels to North Carolina for five days with games against Elon and Duke

Feb. 22, 2017

By Megan Golden

NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- The No. 9 University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team travels to North Carolina for a two-game road trip beginning with Thursday’s contest at Elon. The Irish (4-1) will face the Phoenix (4-0) at 6 p.m. ET at Rudd Field.

Notre Dame will look to win its fifth straight contest and second consecutive road game.

Notre Dame will face the Phoenix of Elon for the first time in program history on Thursday. The game against Elon represents one of five remaining non-conference foes on Notre Dame’s 2017 schedule.

“Playing a team for the first time in program history is exciting,” sophomore goalkeeper Samantha Giacolone said. “It allows us to be exposed to different types of play that we may have never seen before, so I think our mindset going in is to use this opportunity to get better as a team and grow our game.”

Second-Half Success

Despite having the lead at halftime in four of five games this season, the Irish have outscored their opponents 44-12 in the second half this season.

In the past three games, Notre Dame has won 25 draw controls in the second half, compared to 20 in the first half. The team has also collected 14 second-half saves, compared to 11 in the first half.

The Irish recorded their only loss when allowing 10 or more goals to the opposition, so second-half defense against the Phoenix will be key to a victory.

Weekend Rewind

Notre Dame defeated Michigan, 12-5, at Michigan Stadium on Saturday. Giacolone collected a season-high 12 saves and limited the Wolverines to just five goals.

“Going into tomorrow, I think the team collectively is looking to build off the little things we can improve on,” Giacolone said. “Ground balls, draw controls, and shot selection are all the fundamentals we can continue to be better at. Also just the confidence aspect of our game will be huge going forward in the season, and I think this trip to North Carolina, facing two competitive teams, is a great time to build that up.”

Live Coverage

Thursday’s game will be available LIVE here. For a closer, behind-the-scenes look at the Irish women’s lacrosse program, follow @NDWomensLax on Twitter.

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Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women's lacrosse and cross country/track and field programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary's College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.